December, 2011 - San Mateo County Community College District

San Mateo Colleges International Education Newsletter (No. 1)
Our Application Deadlines
We accept applications year round, but we have a deadline for each semester: April 15 for the fall semester and October 15 for the spring semester. These deadlines are necessary to allow sufficient time for the visa application and for students to arrive at least 30 days before the semester begins in order to obtain academic counseling and get into the classes they need. Great News on Transfer Pathway Letters
During my October recruitment visits, I shared with some of you the Transfer Pathway letters (also called University Conditional Admission Letters) that we use to accompany our I‐20 letters. These letters were from UC Davis, San Francisco State University and University of Cincinnati. I am happy to inform you that more American universities are participating in our Transfer Pathways program:  University of California – Davis  University of California – Irvine  University of California – Merced  University of California – Riverside  University of California – Santa Barbara  University of California – Santa Cruz  University of Cincinnati  University of Oregon  San Francisco State University  University of Washington ‐ Tacoma  Purdue University – Indiana Important Program Changes
Language Score Change Please note we are increasing the IELTS score from 5 to 5.5 for all applicants who are sending in applications as of January 1, 2012. The other language scores will remain the same: TOEFL: PBT 480, iBT 56, and ELS: level 109 Application Changes As of January 1, 2012, all applicants will be required to pay a non‐refundable application fee of $50 USD. Scholarships for Int’l Students In additional to regular scholarships, San Mateo Colleges now have dedicated scholarships for international students who can apply for these scholarships at the same time when applying for admission. Information on how to apply is provided on the application forms. Look under “The Global Beca Foundation of San Mateo Colleges”. For Ongoing Updates Please check our website often for changes and other updates: www.smccd.edu/international Cañada College caninternational@smccd.edu
www.canadacollege.edu/international College of San Mateo csminternational@smccd.edu
www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/international
Skyline College skyinternational@smccd.edu
www.skylinecollege.edu/international
December, 2011 Local Language Schools for Intensive English Training Homestays A Story About Meiyi Jung (www.isphomestays.com) ISP Homestays is the company we highly recommend to you. It is headquartered in San Mateo County and we work very closely with their staff. See my endorsement here. Homestays, as you know, is an effective way to get foreign students to become familiar with the American way of life. Please remember the following when recommending students to ISP Homestays: 1) Contact the company as soon the student has obtained their visa, preferably 30 days before their scheduled arrival date in the U.S. 2) Remind students they have contractual obligations with the host families, such as a 30‐day notice if they want to move out. 3) Remind students that living with an American family is rewarding, and at the same time, challenging for someone away from their own parents. They need to respect the host family’s rules. Please try to keep noise down, never smoke inside the house, and ask for permission when using things that do not belong to them. We have noticed many students select the choice of “being allergic to animals”. This eliminates many American families from being able to host the student. Of course, if you do have a known allergy, you must tell us.
The following list contains names of language schools near San Mateo Colleges who partner with our three colleges by providing intensive English training to students. Students whose language scores are not meeting our requirements may be admitted to these language schools with our conditional admission letters:  AAE (American Academy of English)  ELS  Golden Gate Language School  Intrax English Institute  ILSC (International Language Schools of Canada)  Language Pacifica  San Francisco Institute of English Meiyi Jung came to
Cañada College
from China’s famous
Nanjing Jin-ling High
School (南京金陵中
学) this year. Her
mother is a
documentary film
producer. Meiyi first
heard about Cañada College from her
mother’s friend, who had spoken with
Vice Chancellor Dr. Jing Luan, on one
of his many trips to China on behalf of
the San Mateo Colleges district.
Meiyi believes she has made a great
decision in choosing Cañada. “The
environment is amazing! I take pictures
of the sky and charming mountains all
the time because they seem to change
every day.” Meiyi really loves having the
small, personal environment of a
community college, and feels that
Cañada is a great place to prepare for
transferring to a larger four-year
University. She says “You can go to
your professors and counselors
whenever you need a helping hand.
Recently, I went to see my economics
teacher, Professor Roscelli, to ask
about the homework, and we ended up
talking for more than hour on many
topics, including Phi Theta Kappa
(PTK), Cañada’s honor society. I
wouldn’t have known about this club
otherwise, and I’m really glad I joined it.
She is also excited to be the president
of the new Cañada College
International Communication Club.
After finishing her first two years at
Cañada, Meiyi plans to transfer to either
Stanford or UCLA. Marketing Fee Invoice For those who have agreements with us, we require that you send us invoices for the students. The invoice needs to contain as much detailed information as possible about the student(s). Apply Online at: www.smccd.edu/international General inquiries:
www.smccd.edu/international
Phone: 650.358.6889 email: international@smccd.edu December, 2011